Hidden in the Leaves
by TheCanadianMonster
Summary: AU, Human names used. Alfred and Matthew played a little game of hide and seek when they were children. It does not end well. Rated T for slight swearing.
1. Chapter 1: Let's Play!

**AN: A little attempt at some fluff! Hope you guys like it! ****I'm pretty sure I made England and Canada a bit OOC here. Forgive me!**

**AU~ Dedicated to my friend, RISING FLURRY! Without her I would seriously freak out.**

**And... I'm still not sure about France's french. It might be wrong. I used Google Translate afterall -shot. ****If you see anything weird, please kindly tell me! Reviews are appreciated.**

_**mon ami **_**= my friend**

_**petits chéris **_**= little darlings**

_**non = **_**no**

_**chéris pauvres **_**= poor darlings**

_**mon cher**_** = my dear**

**Pairings? Only if you interpret it that way :)**

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><p>In a little house in the country of Great Britain, a blond-haired child sat underneath a big tree in his backyard...<p>

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><p>9-year old Matthew sat under the big tree that grew in the backyard of his house. It was a calm, sunny day and the wind was blowing gently through the leaves of the tree, making them rustle gently.<p>

Leaning against the firm trunk of the tree, little Matthew's eyes began to droop. Clutching his little polar bear named Kumajiro, Matthew sighed. He loved times like these, when no one was around. His family probably already forgot he was out in the backyard, but it didn't matter to him now. He sometimes grew tired of being forgotten, tired of the apologies, tired of his brother Alfred.

So, he enjoyed the peace and quiet of the backyard. Matthew was just about to fall asleep when he heard the glass door that lead from the kitchen to the backyard, open with a bang. A voice called out.

"Hey, Mattie! Where'dja go Matt?"

Matthew groaned. There was only one person that had a special nickname for him: his brother, Alfred.

Maybe if he stayed quiet, his twin brother won't notice him! Matthew sat there, staring at his brother, hoping he would blend in with his surroundings. Unfortunately, his efforts were in vain as Alfred's head whipped around to face his.

"There ya are, Mattie!" Alfred yelled, running towards his brother.

Matthew sighed. His invisibility skills sometimes weren't useful with Alfred.

"Yeah, what is it Alfred?" Matthew asked.

"Let's play!"

"Play what?"

"Umm... I dunno. I just wanna play!"

"Al, you ask me to play but you don't even know what to play?"

"Uh... yeah! Haha. Um... Oh, I know! Let's play hide-and-seek! How 'bout it, bro?"

"Umm-"

"Yay!" Alfred yelled, not letting his brother finish his sentence. He took hold of his brother's hand and started to drag him out of the backyard fence. Matthew shrugged as if this happened often (which it did). Just as they were about to walk past the fence, Matthew looked down and remembered his bear, sleeping in his arms.

"Wait, Al!" Matthew said, yanking his hand out of Alfred's grip, "I have to leave Kumakichi for a nap!"

Running back to the tree, Matthew did not realize that he had got the name of his own pet polar bear wrong. He set his sleeping bear under the shade of the tree and planted a quick kiss on Kumajiro's forehead before he turned and ran off to play with Alfred.

Alfred ran off ahead towards the woods close to their home. They would usually play in between the tall, majestic trees until it was time to head home. Matthew followed not too far behind. When they came to a little clearing in the woods, Alfred spread his arms and spun around saying,

"Yeah! This is a perfect place to play hide-and-seek!"

Matthew smiled. Alfred turned to him and said,

"Okay, Mattie. I'm gonna count to 10 and you better run off and hide!"

"Yeah, okay." Matthew replied.

Alfred nodded and turned to face a tree. He leaned against it, head buried in his arms. He started to count, real slow.

"1...2..."

Matthew turned around and ran, trying to find a good hiding place. He spotted a clump of bushes and dove into them as Alfred reached the number 7.

"8...9...10! Ready or not, here I come!" Alfred turned and looked around the woods. There was no sign of Matthew. Alfred started looking around for his brother with excitement, hoping to catch him by surprise.

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><p>Time passed and the sky grew darker. Alfred lost his excitement and a feeling of fear replaced it. He had not found Matthew yet, and the forest started to become a dark, dangerous place no 9-year old should be in. A place where nightmares come true. Alfred panicked and started shouting for Matthew.<p>

"Mattie! Mattie, where are you?" Alfred yelled.

Matthew was still huddled behind the bushes. He giggled. He sat listening to his brother calling him, thinking that Alfred was just giving up too easily. Matthew sat there, hugging his knees, waiting to be found by a brother that would never come.

As the first stars started to twinkle in the dark sky, Arthur looked out of his window. His two little boys haven't shown their little faces back home since late afternoon. He knows he shouldn't be too concerned, but he was pacing the living room like a worried mother.

Francis sat on one of the couches in the living room, watching his oldest friend worry. He was there to visit, wanting to play with the kids and tease Arthur.

"Don't fret, _mon ami_." Francis finally said. Arthur stopped pacing and turned to look at Francis.

"Don't fret? How am I supposed to not fret when my kids haven't come back home at this hour?" Arthur yelled.

"Well then, why don't you go look for the _petits chéris_? They couldn't have gone far, _non_?" Francis calmly replied.

Arthur huffed and rubbed his temple. "I suppose you're right." He muttered.

He went over to the coat rack to grab a light sweater. He hastily put it on and grabbed a flashlight. He then dashed out of his house with determination etched on his face.

"Be careful, _mon ami_!" France called after Arthur, "I shall take care of your house while you are gone, _non_?"

When Arthur heard the last part of what Francis had just said, he ran faster. He had to find his kids and get home before that French Frog did something weird to his house!

Francis chuckled and walked back in the house. He looked around and suddenly clapped his hands.

"Ah! I know! I shall make the most delightful meal for Arthur and his boys! Who knows what he's feeding the _chéris pauvres_." Francis chuckled as he walked in the kitchen and put an apron on.

Alfred was still running around yelling for his brother.

"Maaaaaattie! Come on, Mattie! I'm serious, just come out already!" Alfred hollered. Instead of peeking his little head out of the bushes, Matthew pushed himself deeper in the bush making him almost invisible. Which he already was, anyways. Having been around Alfred for most of his life, he is always careful of what Alfred says for he knows that most of the time, Alfred was faking.

"Maaaattie!"

Arthur whipped his head towards the woods at the sound of his son's voice. He swung the beam of his flashlight towards the voice and squinted. He grit his teeth and ran toward the woods grumbling,

"Of all the places... Always the woods...!"

Alfred turned around quickly when he heard footsteps. Hoping it was Matthew, he smiled real wide and yelled,

"There ya are, Mattie!"

Arthur saw his son's figure and ran towards him, relief washing over him as he shouted,

"Alfred!"

Alfred's smile disappeared as he saw the beam of the flashlight and his father figure. Arthur ran over to him and hugged him tightly.

"Alfred, Alfred! Where have you been, love? You got me worried sick!" Arthur said.

"But... Daddy, we've got to find Mattie!" Alfred said.

Arthur sighed and let go of his son. As he stared into Alfred's worried face, relief washed over him again to see his son safe. He forgot all of his worries in an instant. And by ALL of his worries, he forgot Matthew as well.

"Love, I don't know who you're talking about."

Alfred's eyes got wide as Arthur stood up.

"Now, let's go home." Arthur said as he stretched. A thought struck him. "Home... Damn! I just remembered that bloody frog is at my house!" He muttered, careful to not let Alfred hear him swear.

He turned back to Alfred and grabbed his hand.

"Come now, lad! We must get home before a CERTAIN FRENCHMAN messes up my beautiful house."

Alfred knew that whenever his father mentioned "A certain Frenchman", it is always Francis. His facial expression took one of confusion and panic. He needed to get home because it was already late and Francis was the one watching house, but he needed to find Matthew too. His confusion remained as Arthur started to drag him towards home.

Matthew peeked out of the bushes he was hiding behind and saw Alfred's confused expression. Matthew watched the two retreating figures of his father and his brother until they could no longer be seen and the beam of the flashlight disappeared completely. Sitting back down on the forest floor, the feeling of loneliness and being abandoned became clear to Matthew. Hugging his knees, he began to cry.

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><p>Francis hummed as he began to set the table. All of a sudden, he heard the front door bang open and two pairs of running footsteps came closer to the kitchen. Arthur's angry, huffing face and Alfred's little, worried face popped up in the kitchen doorway. Francis smirked and said,<p>

"Welcome home, _mon cher_."

Arthur let go of Alfred's hand and yelled,

"Don't treat me like I'm your wife, frog!"

Francis laughed, "Ah, but _mon ami_, I have never said you are my wife. I am merely greeting you. Look, I even cooked! You should be thankful!"

Arthur walked over to the table and grumbled his thanks. Francis smiled and turned to Alfred.

"Come and eat as well, Alfred!" Francis urged.

Alfred walked over slowly to the table and stared up at Francis with a worried look on his face. Francis felt sympathy for the child. How can one so young have such a complicated expression?

"Come, Alfred. Food will take all your worries away. Especially my food." Francis smirked at Arthur.

Alfred climbed up onto a chair and looked down at his plate full of French food. He lit up and smiled at the sight of warm, edible food. He started to eat, pushing the thought of his brother in the woods to the back of his mind.

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><p>Meanwhile, a little, talking polar bear was stirring from its sleep. Kumajiro opened his eyes and sniffed at the good smell that was wafting from the house. He got up and walked over to the glass sliding door that led into the kitchen. He peeked through its curtains and saw three blonds eating and laughing at the table. Seeing food, his stomach grumbled and he realized that he had not eaten since noon.<p>

Feeling hungry, he also realized that his own owner -the shy blond with the lone, fly-away curl- was nowhere to be found. And since Matthew was the only person who fed him, Kumajiro went out looking for Matthew. Walking out of the backyard fence, he trusted his nose to follow that sweet, maple syrup-y scent that his owner usually gives off.

With his head in his arms, Matthew continued to cry. It was dark, cold, and he was alone. He could believe that his father and Alfred left him out in the woods at night, but it still hurt. He lifted his head up and realized that he was hungry. As if on cue, his stomach grumbled loudly. He wiped his eyes before continuing to sniffle. A soft wind blew his dirty blond hair around his face as tears dangerously threatened to spill out again.

"Who're you?"

At the sound of that voice, Matthew whipped around to face his bear, Kumajiro. At the sight of him, the tears that he held back spilled out and he lunged forward to hug Kumajiro. Crying and hiccuping into the cream-colored fur, Matthew let all of his feelings out. Kumajiro hugged Matthew back, patting his back and saying,

"There, there..."

After comforting Matthew for a few moments, Kumajiro let go of Matthew and padded forward. He looked back at Matthew and gestured towards his back with his head. Matthew's tears slowed down as he climbed onto Kumajiro's back. He sniffled as Kumajiro walked home with Matthew on his back.

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><p>The door to Arthur's house quietly opened as a boy and his bear walked slowly inside the house. The sounds of Francis laughing obnoxiously could be heard from the kitchen. As Matthew got nearer, he could see Francis, Arthur, and Alfred all laughing and eating. And as he looked closer, he saw that they had only set the table for three.<p>

A single tear fell down his cheek as Matthew jumped off of Kumajiro and ran up the stairs to his room, followed closely by a worried bear. Matthew opened the door to his room and flung himself onto the bed. He pulled the covers over his head and cried again. Kumajiro padded towards the bed and climbed in with Matthew. He laid a paw on Matthew's head and kept saying,

"There, there..."

In the end, they both forgot about dinner and their hunger. Kumajiro fell asleep while stroking Matthew's head. And as for Matthew, he cried himself to sleep.


	2. Chapter 2: 10 years later

**AN: Okay, so this story takes place 10 years later. So, like, 10 years after where we left off in the last chapter.**

**Brotherly love at the end~ :)**

**Anyways, last chapter!**

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><p>It was late afternoon and Matthew stood in front of his former house in Britain. He gripped his suitcase while a backpack was slung on one of his shoulders. Mr. Kumajiro sat next to Matthew's leg, waiting for his owner to do something. Matthew was wondering whether he should knock or just use his old key to open the door.<p>

It's been a while since he's been to England. Not since he left his father, Arthur, to go to school in Canada. He hasn't seen Alfred, his brother, in a while either.  
>Over the years, living with Arthur, Matthew and Alfred grew very distant. Relatives would mistake Matthew for Alfred countless times and Alfred's enemies and rivals would go after Matthew. After all that, it's no surprise that Matthew has a nasty grudge against his brother. Even after Alfred had moved out of the house before him to live in America.<p>

Matthew sighed. He finally decided to just knock. Even though it was his house and he had a key, he didn't live here anymore, so it would be rude. He reached out to knock the door only to have it opened before his fist could move. Standing before him, was a face he barely recognized. Blond, a curl, blue eyes. It was his brother alright. Alfred. With the addition of glasses. And a burger in his mouth.

Alfred took the burger out of his mouth to chew.

"So, uh...Who're you? I mean, you've been standing out here for a while now." Alfred said, with his mouth full of his burger.

Matthew's eye twitched. Leave it to Alfred to forget his own twin brother.

"You tryin' to wink? Dude, that ain't gonna work. I'm not gay." Alfred said casually, taking a bite into his burger.

Anger bubbled in Matthew. He let go of his suitcase, lunged forward, and punched his brother in the stomach. Alfred fell to the floor, his burger flew outside and nestled in a nearby bush. Mr. Kumajiro reached up and sniffed it.

"I'm MATTHEW! Matthew! Matthew, dammit! And I'm not-GAHH! Maplehockey!" Matthew yelled.

Alfred lay dumbfounded on the floor, staring at the angry blond in front of him. His eyes widened at the other's words. Alfred leaped up and grabbed Matthew by his shoulders.

"Wh-whoa! Mattie? Is it really you? Dude! You're as tall as me now! A-and you have glasses too!" Alfred said, a big smile on his face.

"Yeah, yeah, it's me." Matthew grumbled.

"Well, watcha standing outside for? Step inside our old man's house!" Alfred gestured for Matthew to come in. Matthew stepped in the house, dragging his suitcase.

"Come on, Mr. Kumataro." Over the years, Matthew had never gotten out of the habit of calling his bear by a different name. Although now, he adds a "Mr." in front of each name he uses. Mr. Kumajiro padded inside the house and immediately found a good place to sleep. He laid his head down on his paws and fell asleep. Alfred closed the front door.

Matthew looked around the house as he left his suitcase under the coat rack.

"Not much changed, eh?"

Alfred's eyes widened.

"Dude! You sound like a Canadian now!"

"And you sound American."

"Of course I do, bro!"

"So, what are you doing here?"

"Same reason as you, bro. Visiting my old man."

"Speaking of our 'old man', where is he anyways?"

"Probably out shopping to make 'dinner'." Alfred made air quotes with his fingers when he said "dinner". Matthew snorted and looked at his brother.

"So you let yourself in?" Matthew asked.

"Pfffft, so totally bro! With my old key here!" Alfred dangled a key identical to Matthew's on his finger.

"I see." Matthew said, dropping the backpack he was carrying down next to a couch. He slumped down in it, and Alfred did the same.

An awkward silence ensued. Alfred was the one to break it.

"So, uh... Wanna play video games?" Alfred asked.

Matthew snorted. "No. I can't and I don't want to play video games." He crossed his arms.

"Well then why don't we finish playing our game of hide-and-seek from 10 years ago?" Alfred mumbled. Matthew whipped his head around to look at Alfred.

"What?" Matthew asked, wanting to confirm what he thought he had just heard. Alfred laughed awkwardly, bringing his hand to the back of his head.

"Nothing, bro! I was just mumbling to myself!"

Matthew looked at the floor.

"So you still remember."

Alfred brought his hand down and looked sadly at his brother.

"Yeah..."

Silence.

Alfred suddenly stood up and clapped his hands together.

"Well, let's finish it now!" he yelled enthusiastically. He went over to Matthew with a big smile on his face. He looped his arm into his brother's and yelled,

"Let's go, Matt!"

Alfred dragged Matthew outside and slammed the door shut. He dragged Matthew all the way to the old woods where they used to play in, ignoring his brother's protests. Alfred let go of his brother's arm and spun around.

"Perfect place, huh?" Alfred grinned. Matthew looked at his brother and shrugged.

"I suppose." he replied.

"Okay bro, imma start counting and you go run and hide, kay?" Alfred said, his little curl bobbing.

Matthew stood there, not sure of what to say. He was at war with himself. Should he just go along and play? Or should he yell in his brother's face and stomp on back to the house?

Matthew sighed and turned around. Alfred had already started counting slowly. Matthew took one look at his brother who had his face buried in his arms as he leaned against a tree, counting. Taking a deep breath, Matthew ran to that place, the place where he hid years ago.

He felt a bit nostalgic running through the woods. He was shocked to find a playground that wasn't there before, in the middle of the place where Alfred and him used to play. It gave the place a more modern look, with the addition of street lamps lighting a small, forest path. He began to think that his old hiding place was gone, replaced by this playground, when he saw the familiar clump of bushes next to a plastic slide.

He was feeling a lot more nostalgic as he approached the bushes. As he pushed through and sat behind them, he realized how small the place had gotten. Or rather, how big he had gotten. Mattie hugged his knees and waited.

Alfred was just about to finish counting.

"8...9...10! Ready or not, bro, here I come!" Alred yelled.

He looked around. At this moment, there was only one thing on his mind: to find Matthew. He did not want the same thing that happened years ago, happen again. He and Matthew would finish the game. He would make sure of that.

As the sky darkened and the stars were slowly revealing themselves, Matthew felt panicked. Not long after, he began to cry.

He wasn't crying because he wasn't able to go home in the dark. He was 19, he could walk home by himself. No, he was crying because he was scared of his old fear. The fear of being abandoned. Left alone. Forgotten. The fear of being left alone in the woods by his family. As stupid as that old fear might be, Matthew was still scared. He cried quietly as the street lamps slowly turned on, one by one.

Matthew heard footsteps through his sobbing. He plunged his head into his arms and continue to tremble, tears sliding down his face.

"Mattie? You okay?"

Matthew didn't reply. He kept sniffling until he felt someone's hand on his shoulder.

"Matt, why are you crying? I'm here bro." Alfred said softly.

Matthew peered over his arms to see his brother, worry etched on Alfred's face. He could feel the tears welling up in his eyes as uncontrollable sobs threaten to be unleashed.

Alfred, his eyes soft, knelt down and opened his arms to his brother. Matthew whimpered and lunged into Alfred, burying his face into his brother's chest. He wrapped his arms around Alfred and let those uncontrollable sobs go.

Alfred wrapped his arms around Matthew as well, stroking Matthew's hair that was identical in color to his. Matthew sniffed and Alfred could feel his shirt getting wet, but it didn't matter. His brother was crying and Alfred felt a twinge of guilt.

Matthew sniffed again and said,

"I-Im sorry a-about y-your shirt, A-Alfred." between sobs.

"Mattie, it's no biggie. Now, are you going to tell me why you're crying?" Alfred asked, pulling away a bit so that Matthew was looking at him. Alfred rested his hand on top of Matthew's head.

Matthew's lip quivered. Alfred was afraid that he'd start crying again.

"Look, Mattie. It's okay if you don't want to tell me. I was just aski-"

"I'm scared."

There was a pause.

"Alfred, I'm scared. I-I'm scared tha-that what happened when we we-were kids will happen a-again. You know, wh-when I was left behind h-here." Matthew sniffed, "I-I know it's a stupid fear," Matthew chuckled sadly, "But it's how I feel. I-I'm sorry I'm crying over nothi-"

Alfred hugged his brother, silencing him, and buried his head in Mattie's shoulder.

"Mattie, Mattie, Mattie. It's not nothing. What I did back then was wrong. I should have pulled away from Dad and made him help me look for you. But instead, I walked away. I forgot to find my favorite twin brother." Alfred mumbled in Matthew's shoulder.

"Al, I'm your only twin brother," Matthew chuckled softly, hugging his brother back. "And you've found me now."

"It's my turn to apologize, Mattie. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry." Alfred pulled back to see Matthew's face and asked, "Will you ever forgive me?"

Matthew smiled and wiped away his remaining tears. True, he had a nasty grudge against his brother (that no one cared about), but Alfred was his brother all the same. No matter what.

"Sure. Why not?"

Alfred's eyes sparkled as a huge grin broke out on his face. He picked Matthew up bridal-style and started swinging him around, laughing.

"Yay! I found my bro and he forgave me! Now I'm truly the hero!" Alfred yelled.

"GAHH! AL, PUT ME DOWN." Matthew protested.

"No~"

"Oh for Maple's sake-" Mattie reached up and gave Alfred a hard, long noogie.

"Ow!" Alfred exclaimed, letting go of Matthew to rub his head, "Dude, that freakin hurt!"

Matthew tumbled to the ground with a thud and stood up, dizzy. He brushed the dirt off of his sweater.

"Aaaw... Why'd you do that, Mattie?" Alfred whined, still rubbing his head.

Matthew stepped towards him and planted a kiss on the spot where he noogied his brother. He started walking away but stopped and turned around.

"Because I love you." Matthew said matter-of-factly while shrugging his shoulders.

Alfred was dumbfounded. But he then grinned and walked over to his brother. He tousled Matthew's hair and said,

"Aw, I love you too bro!"

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><p>"Just one question for ya, bro."<p>

"What?"

"Are you really gay?"

The next day Alfred was nursing a broken nose.

...leaving Arthur to wonder what had happened between the two brothers the day before.

**-END-**

**Thank you for reading! :)**


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